Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1887-05-11

weather on that moor could not be
endured"
"My sister is mistaken" said Ken
meth; 81 left for other reasons, and
did not particularly like coming away
from my Solitude
eve will teach you the pleasures OF
society,"" Mrs. Vernay cried. SOLITUDE
is horrible. Man was not made to
live alone"
Did I see Kenneth vince? I could
not tell.
Then Grace came, asking Mrs Yer
nay to write In her birthday book.
And the beauty INSCRIBED "Lily Yer
nay" In a clear, beautiful writing,
matchless as herself.
Kenneth read it over Grace's
shoulder.
"Your name is Lilith," he said to
Mrs. Vernay.
"Who told you that?" she asked,
and he replied:
81 know it," without Offering any
explanation.
':Lilith horrid !" murmured Grace,
as, with Frank, Mrs. Vernay moved
toward the piano.
eI think it pretty; why horrid ?"
| Marie asked.
"Do YOU know about Lilith?" her
friendly replied. "She was Adams
first wife, and for transgresslon was
turned out of Paradise, She is the
enemy Of all little children and when
Jewish babies are born the nurses
write 'Lilith, avaunt!' against the
wall lest she should come and kill the
child And tradition says that she
still haunts the world as a beautiful
woman, who entices men to marry
her, and then strangles them in her
golden hair"
GA tradition" said I, something
like the legeneds OF the Greek LANAI"
"How doyou know that there is not
truth in traditions and folly In reject
ing them ?' Kenneth asked.
Meanwhile Mrs. Vernay was singing
song after song, and with every note
stealing away q bit of Franks heart.
And her music won Kenneth to her
side, for he took his brothers place at
the piano, and stood there turning
over her pages-I believe in all the
wrong places, for he looked more in
her face than at the music.
confess that in those days | was
Vexed with Kenneth, for he seemed to
have taken a sudden and inexplicable
plunge into the society which few
months previously he had abjured for
ever. There seemed only one expla-
nation-his ideal life had proved dull
and irksome. Everywhere met him.
chiefly with Mrs. Vernay; often Frank
was with them, woe-begone, unde-
sired third party. And the girls de-
clared that it was q shame Kenneth,
who rallied against marriage, should
come and steal her away from his
brother.
A few women there were who disliked
Mrs. Vernav. My wife was one of
them, and we'll enough we all knew the
reason. For when, with maternal
pride, she one day showed off the chill
dren to the pretty widow, Mrs. Yer
nay turned from them with cold look
of disgust, saying, 81 detest children"
An insult no mother could forgive.
s'That unnatural woman" my wife
from henceforth called her.
How lovely she looked at the Christ
mas ball when radiant with delight,
she crossed the room to say to me,
''Look at the progress Of my CONVEX
|
this frivolous scene"
81 wish [ was at the chapel" Ken
meth himself remarked, and certainly
no man looked so unsuited to ball
room. He had grown pale and thin
during his solitary life, and wore q
| thoughtful air never before had no.
ticed in him.
"Wny on earth don'tyougo back?"
said I. Nothing has surprised me
more than your appearance here"
81 knew it would be So" he an
swered. chad to come"
Then in that homogeneous place he
began telling me his experiences in that
wild solitude.
"I began to think my lie there use.
less, g. mere indulgence of my own
tastes. read and thought, but the
mysteries OF life seemed as unfathoma-
BILE as ever. One evening [ felt myself
no longer alone. | saw nothing [
heard nothing, yet I absorbed this
| command into my being: 60 into
the world, for there is a life you must
save, q demon you must vanquish,
and the life you have led has given
you power to fight and conquer. The
world will mock, and your friends mis-
understand you, but heed them not.
By this token know both destroyer
and destroyed Then across the
floor OF my room glided g. glittering
snake, unlike anything we see upon
English moors. And [, obeying the
command, came here to find the de-
stroyer."
At that moment he trembled,
touched my arm, and Did me look
across the room. There stood Frank
and Mrs. Vernay-she with the jew
eled snake twisted In her hair, he with
another, q bracelet Of hers, clasped
around his wrists; some Jokes had
passed between them, and she had
slipped it on.
my dear Kenneth, these are fan.
cies, nothing but fancies," 1 said, for
mis- manner alarmed me. "You can't
think that anything more dangerous
than a boyish love affair can result
from Franks friendship with Mrs.
Vernay."
"Lilith!" was all he said.
Tell me, how did you guess her